Also from Zoxell: These are the Voyages

Daniel Noah Shays is a human, born on Earth to a hard-working agriculturalist couple in the South Carolina back-country. Dan’s father was a farmer, as was his father’s father, going back hundreds of years. The world had moved past agriculture a long time ago. Having eliminated food shortages and hunger with the onset of replication technology, food growers on Earth were no longer necessary. This fact did not diminish the demand for fresh, organic vegetables, eggs, dairy, and meat, however.

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Chapter 5.3 – Doc

Working in the church soup kitchen has presented Faith with unique opportunities, and introduced her to sims she would never have otherwise met.

One evening in particular stands out, after an otherwise uninteresting supper. It is fairly late when a last-minute straggler finds his way into the hall. Mark has put up most of the tables and chairs already, and volunteers have packed the food away. But there is something in the guy’s eyes that motivates Faith to prepare a plate from leftovers and warm it up in the microwave.

He is very grateful to Faith and carefully eats his meal, seeming almost to measure out each portion before consuming it. Faith is transfixed by his unusual eating habit. She apologizes for staring, and comments that she has never seen any of the soup kitchen patrons eat so carefully.

The man, who is quite filthy and in desperate need of a bath, chuckles. He admits that he sometimes does regular things a little bit differently than other sims. He introduces himself as “Doc”. Faith has learned not to ask why sims find themselves in such dire circumstances. But there is something compelling about Doc that has her wanting to find out more about him. Rather than push for information, however, she just sits and chats with him while he eats his perfectly portioned bites.

Intrigued by this odd visitor, Faith approaches Mark and asks if they can take him to the gym to get cleaned up and at least get him some clean clothes. Mark has warned Faith that she would not be able to “rescue” every sim that comes through the kitchen doors. But just a little bit of help for this guy seems like it would go a long way. Whether it is the same curiosity Faith has about this man, or just the same generous spirit, Mark agrees to bring him to the gym.

After he has finished showering and changing, Faith notices that Doc is rather young; definitely younger than Mark. She would not have guessed as much at the church. He is clearly embarrassed for being found in his current condition. But he still does not volunteer information about his history. Faith watches the television while Mark talks with Doc for a little while. Faith knows that her grandfather is going through his line of police questioning. It is fair enough, she supposes. Though something about this stranger makes her think that he is only wasting his time.

As they leave the gym together, Mark comments that the lounge chairs at the beach are quite nice and might make for a decent place to crash for a night. But he adds that the Sunset Valley Police are quite competent, and that he may want to consider finding a way to gain permanent residence if he plans on sticking around. Before leaving, Mark agrees to give the stranger a part-time job at the Barimen Book Barn.

Faith watches as Doc walks toward the beach. She is not sure why, but she senses that there is something much more to him than meets the eye. She is quite sure that they will be meeting again.

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7 thoughts on “Chapter 5.3 – Doc”

Doc definitely looks to be a strange character! Is that a hint of neuroticism I detect? Or am I just looking too into things? Either way, he definitely looks interesting. 🙂 Can’t wait to see how his story unfolds.

Quick note…I have the new site with Chapter 1 already written. I’m experimenting with some different writing techniques with this challenge, and I’m hoping to make it through ten generations.

Anyway, it can be found at http://shepherdlegacy.wordpress.com. You might want to read the “About” section before the first chapter. If you’re paying attention, you might catch a hint to some of the mystery surrounding the chapter 🙂 Of course, only read it when you get the opportunity. I’m in no hurry!

Zoxell

Up Next: Part 21 – ??

August 20, 2017
Van and Benita finally begin to heal their relationship and discover that their friendship does, indeed, have a much more complicated component. Big things await our embattled couple.
Next up – Frightening news from Area 15 is accompanied by a surprise visit from an old friend. Also, Benita receives help from a very unexpected source.